Fluid package forming system



July 18, 1939. L, L. SALFISBERG FLUID PACKAGE FORMING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 10, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY 7 July 18, 1939. 1.. SALFISBERG 2,166,643

FLUID PACKAGE FORMING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 10, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

n ATTORNEY.

3 L. SALFiSBERG 2,166,643

FLUID PACKAGE FORMINQ SYSTEM Filed Feb. 10, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 b 1939- L. L. SALFISBERG ,166,

FLUID PACKAGE FORMING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 10, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY.

Patented July 18, 1939 PATENT OFFICE FLUID PACKAGE FORMING SYSTEM Leroy L. Salfisberg, South Orange, N. J., assignor to livers-Lee Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application February 10, 1938, Serial No. 189,733

2 Claims.

This invention pertains in general to packaging machines and methods, and specifically relates to the production of fluid containing packages.

One object of the invention is to provide a machine for packaging fluids or material capable of flowing such as liquid, powder and the like, which shall embody novel and improved features of construction for forming a tube and transversely sealing together the walls of the tube at points spaced longitudinally of the tube.

Another object is to provide such a machine embodying novel and improved features of construction for forming a tube of opposed strips of material, depositing in the tube flowing material .15 to be packaged and transversely sealing together the walls of the tube at points spaced longitudinally of the tube so as to form packages of predetermined volume each completely filled with the material being packaged.

A further object is to provide a machine of this characterwhich shall include novel and improved means for varying the volume of the packages.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view of one embodiment of the machine according to the invention showing the disposition of packaging material feeding elements, and parts for forming and filling individual pocket packages;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of the apparatus -';-35 depicted in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged scale fragmentary partially sectioned view taken along the line 33 of Fig.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged scale fragmentary view of regulating means employed in the invention;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged scale fragmentary View taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a partial view of the machine taken along the line 5-6 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 isa plan view of the machine of the invention taken along the line 'l'! of Fig. l.

The invention contemplates the production of individual fluid containing packages in a continuous fabrication process. The term fluid as 50 used herein, is intended to define any fluid substance such as liquids, powders, and the like. In accordance with the invention, a discharge orifice is provided for feeding the fluid commodity into a tubular structure which is continuously formed 55 from opposed layers of packaging material. The

machine according to the invention seals together this packaging material not only to form the tubular structure but also to form individual packages containing the fluid commodity. Such an arrangement for packaging is particularly 5 adapted for producing commodity packages of the individual dispensing type as for small quantities of powder, liquids, and the like.

Referring to the drawings in detail, rolls of packaging material I and 2 are provided upon t arbors carried by a frame structure 3. The material of rolls I and 2 is preferably of the heat scalable type such as transparent thermoplastically coated Cellophane, and provides ribbons 5 and 6 extending over idler pulleys l and 8 dis l posed upon opposite sides of a pipe or tube 9.

After passing over the rollers 1 and 8, the ribbons 5 and 6 are fed upon opposite sides of the discharge end If) of tube 9 so as to pass between longitudinal edge-sealing rollers ii and i2. Theta rollers It and I2 have peripheral crimping portions. adjacent opposite edges thereof as may be seen from examination of the roller it in Fig. 2, and further by referring to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, theseedge-sealing and crimping spaces-75;;

l3 and i4, onboth rollers, mutually engage under spring. pressure to forcibly interdigita-te the edges of the ribbons 5 and 6. The rollers l l and i2 are mounted for rotation and include internal electric heating elements for applying heat in sufiiiT.) cient quantities to fuse the thermoplastic coatings on the ribbons 5 and 6 and provide a complete fluid-seal. As shown in Fig. 3, the ribbons 5 and 6 are formed into a tubular structure surrounding the dischargepipe' H], which has a fiat 113 cross-sectional area.

The ribbons 5 and 6 are thus formed into a tubular packaging structure enclosing the pipe II], this tubular structure being directed between further forming and regulating devices. These 1') regulating devices include carriages i5 and i5 pivotally mounted for arcuate movement in 0pposite directions under control of a rotatable shaft H. The shaft I1 is provided with threads of different hands, as shown in Fig. 1, for engag- 4. ing threaded portions associated with the carriages i5 and Hi to effect the movements in opposite directions as may be more clearly observed in Fig, 6.

The carriages l5 and I 6 include endless belts I9 and 29 respectively. Belt i9 is mounted on rollers 2i and 22 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6. The belt 28 is mounted upon similar rollers 25a and 22a. The rollers 22 and'22a are driven by shafts extending from gears 23 and 24, respec- '65 tively. The belts I9 and 20 are composed of a suitable pliable fabric and, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 6, define a restricted cross-sectional area occupied by the tubular structure of joined ribbons 5 and 6. Thus, when a fluid is discharged into the tubular structure from pipe III, the shaft may be rotated to adjust the carriages l5 and It with respect to each other so that the crosssectional area of the tubular structure, and the amount of fluid commodity contained therein, can be very accurately controlled.

Means are provided for transversely sealing the tube structure at spaced intervals. Such transverse sealing means includes a pair of sealing rollers 30 and 3|. These rollers are mounted upon shafts 32 and 33 extending from the machine frame structure in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These shafts include internal electrical heating elements having connections to contact rings 34 engaged by brushes 35 for supplying electrical energy thereto. As shown in Fig. 1, the rollers 39 and 3| include peripherally spaced transverse portions having crimping deformations for mutual complementary mechanical engagement as the rollers 36 and 3| are rotated in opposite directions. When these crimped portions are mutually engaged, as shown in Fig. 1, the tubular structure is pressed together and the opposed walls thereof are forcibly interdigitated by virtue of the crimping deformations and, at the same time, the thermo-plastic material on the walls of the tube structure is fused so as to form a fluid tight transverse seal.

Roller SI and roller I2 are mounted on members 45 and 4| which are pivoted to extensions 42 and 32a carrying stud members 43 and 44 for adjusting the members and 4| to bring the rollers i2 and 3| in and out of engagement with their complementary rollers so that the ribbons 5 and 6 can be initially fed into the machine when its operation is begun. These members are also useful for adjusting the degree of pressure between the rollers in the sealing operations.

At the bottom of the line of travel of the tube structure, beneath the carriages l5 and |6,a severing arrangement is provided for cutting off the formed packages in single or multiple units, depending upon the exact arrangement of driving cam and gears provided. The severing arrangement includes a severing element A5 -co-planar with a shearing plate 46 having slot 46a through which the tubular package structure moves. The severing element is reciprocatively mounted and includes a gear sector actuated by a toothed arm 47 having a rider 41a actuated to produce reciprocative motion by a rotary cam 48.

The cam 48, rollers 2| and Zla, rollers 3i) and 3|, and the rollers II and I2 are mechanically intergeared and driven by a shaft 5|] in timed relationship. The shaft 59 is coupledthrough a clutch with a suitable driving motor not shown.

The discharge pipe II] is fed by the tube 9 leading into reservoir 4, as shown in Fig. 2. The reservoir 4 comprises a chamber which may be filled with fluid. The reservoir 4 is supported upon a standard 5| which is slidably mounted upon rods 53 and 53a and may be raised and lowered by a rack and pinion arrangement 5 2- including a rack on the standard 5| and a pinion which can be rotated by a hand crank 55. Movement of hand crank 55 adjusts the position of the fluid level in the tubular package structure with respect to the end of the pipe 9 in reservoir 5.

The hand pump 52 is provided for the purpose of building a pressure in reservoir 4 to force the liquid through the pipe 9 into the tubular structure formed between the walls of material 5 and 6. After the fluid has been started, it will assume a level in the tubular structure corresponding to the level in the reservoir 4. It will be understood that various other arrangements may be utilized for ejecting the fluid into the tubular packaging structure, for example, a forcing injection pump system may be utilized for injecting a measured quantity of fluid in a package at a pre-determined time. Again, where the fluid constitutes a finely divided substance such as powder, the discharge pipe H) can be connected with a powder containing chamber having a measuring cavity and a release closure therefor, the release closure being operated at timed intervals by a cam driven in timed relation with the other movable parts of the mechanism so that each formed package is filled with the powder prior to its closure.

In the operation of the system, the fluid from reservoir 4 is fed through tube 9 and down pipe ll] into the tubular structure formed by the ribbons 5 and 6 longitudinally sealed together along their edges by rollers H and I2. The fluid fed into the tubular structure produces a standing column of fluid of a level determined by the level of the fluid in reservoir 4. The cross-sectional area of the fluid containing tubular structure may be very accurately adjusted by manual rotation of shaft IT, as before pointed out. The transverse sealing rollers 30 and 3| operate to act through the standing column of fluid and permanently seal together the tubular structure in spaced areas to provide individual fluid containing package units joined together in chain package forms. The severing element 45 severs the tubular structure at the transverse seals so as to divide the chain into individual or multiple package units. It is an especial feature of the invention that the rollers 30 and 3|, in sealing the package tubular structure by acting through the standing column of liquid, make it possible to provide fluid package units without occluded air. That is, the

-package material is formed directly around the fluid without any possibility of undesirable air bubbles or the like, as such air bubbles usually have a very deleterious eifect upon the contained commodity.

Although a preferred form of fluid package forming machine has been disclosed, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention. Therefore, no limitation is intended except as pointed out in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and original to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A packaging machine including means for forming and feeding downwardly a tube having compressible walls, means for sealing together the walls of the tube at a given transverse plane thereof, and endless belts each with one reach at and contacting with one of opposite sides of said tube below said plane, means for driving said belts in the direction of and at the same linear speed as the feed of said tube, and means for moving said reaches of the belts toward and from each other to vary the volume of the tube.

2. A packaging machine including means for forming a tube and feeding it longitudinally at a uniform rate, means for sealing together the walls of the tube transversely thereof at points spaced longitudinally of the tube, said means including rollers rotatable in opposite directions disposed transversely of said tube at opposite sides thereof to receive said tube between them and formed with complementary peripherally spaced portions to press between them the walls of said tube, and means for driving said rollers at a peripheral speed corresponding to the rate of feed of said tube, a discharge pipe for flowing material to be packaged having its discharge end disposed above the plane in which said transverse seals are formed, endless belts each with one reach at and contacting with one of opposite sides of said tube below said plane, means for driving said belts in the direction of and at the same linear speed as the feed of said tube, and means for moving said reaches of the belts toward and from each other to vary the volume of the tube.

LEROY L. SALFISBERG. 

